Demetri took his glasses off. She could now see his eyes, full of concern and a little suspicious. “Is everything alright?”
She nodded. “Yes. Yeah. Excuse me.”
She exited Demetri’s office, packed her things, and left. The images in her email were damning, and if released to the public, they would prove everything in the gossip magazines true.
Well, not everything.
Persephone really couldn’t say that she and Hades were dating. As before, she was hesitant to assign any label to their current status given their contract. Not to mention the fact that if those photos were released, her mother would see them, and that would mean the end of her time in New Athens—she wouldn’t even have to worry about the media storm that would ensue as a result, because she wouldn’t be here for it. Demeter would lock her back up forever.
Even while Persephone got ready for her date—something that should’ve been enjoyable—her mind was on Adonis’s threat. She considered how she should handle the situation; she could tell Hades, and everything would be over as quickly as it began, but she didn’t want the God of the Dead fighting her battles for her. She wanted to solve this problem herself.
She decided Hades would be the last resort, a card she would pull if she couldn’t find a solution.
She must have looked troubled when Hades arrived to pick her up, because the God of the Underworld asked as she approached his limo, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she managed in her cheeriest voice possible. He had been asking that a lot, and she wondered if he was paranoid. “It was just a busy day.”
He smiled. “Then let’s get you off your feet.”
He helped her into the limo and followed close behind. Antoni was in the driver’s seat.
“My lady.” He bowed his head.
“It is good to see you, Antoni.”
The cyclops smiled. “Just press the com if you need anything.” Then he rolled up a tinted window that kept his cabin separate from theirs.
She and Hades sat side-by-side, close enough that their arms and legs touched. The friction ignited a fever beneath her skin. Suddenly, she couldn’t get comfortable, and shifted, crossing and uncrossing her legs. It drew Hades’ attention, and after a moment, he placed a hand on her thigh.
She wasn’t sure what possessed her to say it—maybe it was the stress of the day or the tension in the cabin, but right now, all she wanted was to lose herself in him. “I want to worship you.”
The words were quiet and casual. As if she had just asked him how his day went or commented on the weather. She felt his eyes on her, and slowly peeked up at him. His gaze had darkened.
“And how would you worship me, Goddess?” His voice was deep and controlled.
She tried to repress a smile, and kneeled to the floorboard in front of him, wedging herself between his legs. “Shall I show you?”
His throat worked, and he managed in a husky tone, “A demonstration would be appreciated.”
Her hands moved to the button of his trousers where she freed his sex and clasped it in her hand—it was soft but hard, and she met Hades’ gaze as she stroked him once. His hands became fists on his thighs, and when she tasted him, he groaned and rolled his head back.
Then the car came to a stop.
“Fuck,” he said, and reached for the intercom button. Persephone continued to take him deep into the back of her throat, licking and sucking him. When Hades spoke, he was breathless. “Antoni. Drive until I say otherwise.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hissed, inhaling breath between his teeth. His fingers dug into her scalp, loosening her braid as she worked him with her hand and moved her tongue and teeth over the head of his cock. He tasted like salt and darkness, and he grew harder and heavier in her mouth.
She knew when she had driven him into mindlessness because he ground out her name and started thrusting into her mouth. She braced herself against the seat of the limo, unable to breathe, only able to take. He hit the back of her throat over and over until he came with her name on his lips.
Persephone took all of him, licking him clean. When she finished, Hades reached for her, dragging her up for a hard kiss before tearing away to growl, “I want you.”
She tilted her head, questioning. “How do you want me?”
He answered without so much as a second thought. “To start, I’ll take you from behind on your hands and knees.”
“And then?”
“I’ll pull you on top and teach you how to ride me until you come apart.”
“Hmm, I like that one.”
She lifted herself, and Hades helped her sit on his shaft. She groaned as he filled her, and Hades’ hands spanned her waist, helping her establish a rhythm until she moved of her own accord, using him for her pleasure. Her arms went around his neck, and she held him close. She bit his ear, and when he groaned, she whispered, “Tell me how I feel.”
“Like life,” he answered.
His hands moved between them, and he worked her, building the tension, until she could no longer stand it—her labored breathing gave way to a cry of ecstasy, and she collapsed against him, her face burrowed into the crook of his neck.
She didn’t know how long he held her like that, but at some point, Persephone slid from his lap, and Hades restored his appearance before letting Antoni know they were ready to arrive at their destination. Antoni entered a garage and parked near an elevator where Hades helped Persephone out of the limo. Once inside, he took out a keycard and scanned it, punching the button for floor fourteen.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“The Grove,” Hades replied. “My restaurant.”
“You own The Grove?” It was a favorite among the mortals of New Athens because of its unique decor and cozy, garden-inspired dining. “How does no one know?”
“I let Ilias run it,” he said. “And prefer that people think he owns it.”
The elevator opened to the roof, and Persephone gasped at what she saw. The rooftop of The Grove looked like a forest in the Underworld; a stone path wound through beds of flowers and trees strung with lights. Hades led her down the path, which opened onto an open space with a table and two plush chairs. The lights in the trees crisscrossed overhead.
“This is beautiful, Hades.”
He smiled and led her to the table where a collection of breads and a bottle of wine waited. Hades poured them each a glass and toasted their evening.
She found herself laughing more than she ever remembered, the burden of her day long forgotten as Hades told her stories of Ancient Greece. When they finished eating, they walked through the forest on the roof and Persephone asked, “What do you do for fun?”
It seemed like a silly question, but she was curious. Over the months, she gathered that Hades liked cards, walks, and playing with his animals, but she wondered what else.
“What do you mean?”
She laughed. “The fact that you just asked that says everything. What are your hobbies?”
“Cards. Riding.” He swirled his hand in the air, thinking. “Drinking.”
“What about things not related to being the God of the Dead?”
“Drinking is not related to being God of the Dead.”
“It also isn’t a hobby. Unless you’re an alcoholic.”
Hades raised a brow. “Then what are your hobbies?”
Persephone smiled, and though she knew he was avoiding talking about himself, she answered, “Baking.”
“Baking? I feel like I should have known about this sooner.”
“Well, you never asked.”
Silence fell between them, and they walked a little further before Hades came to a stop. Persephone turned to look at him when he said, “Teach me.”
She stared at him for a moment, stunned. “What?”
“Teach me,” he said. “To bake something.”
She couldn’t help but laugh, and he raised a brow, clearly not amused. “I’m sorry—I’m just imagining you in my kitchen.”
“And that’s difficult?”
“Well…yeah. You’re the God of the Underworld.”
“And you’re the Goddess of Spring,” he said. “You stand in your kitchen and make cookies. Why can’t I?”
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. It wasn’t until now that she realized something had changed between them. It had been happening gradually, but today, it hit her hard.
She was in love with him.
She hadn’t realized she was frowning until he touched her face, brushing her cheek with his finger. “Are you well?”
She smiled. “Very well.” She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his mouth, pulling away. “I’ll teach you.”
Hades smiled, too. “Well, then. Let’s get started.”
“Wait. You want to learn now?”
“Now is as good a time as any,” he said.
She opened her mouth to argue that she didn’t have the right supplies to do this in the Underworld, when Hades said, “I thought maybe…we could spend time at your apartment.”
She stared at him, and he shrugged. “You’re always in the Underworld.”
“You…want to spend time in the Upperworld? In my apartment?”
He just stared at her—he’d already told her exactly what he wanted to do.
“I…have to prepare Lexa for your arrival.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll have Antoni drop you off.” He looked down at his suit. “I need to change.”
***
Persephone had no difficulty convincing Lexa to have Hades over for an evening of food, baking, and movies. In fact, she screamed when Persephone brought it up, which summoned Jaison from her room armed with a lamp, his blue-grey eyes wide and his dark brown curls wild. He looked ready for a fight, and when the girls saw him, they laughed.
Jaison lowered the lamp. “I heard someone scream.”
“And you were going to save me with a lamp?” Lexa asked.
“It was the heaviest thing I could find,” he said defensively.
They laughed again, and Persephone explained why Lexa was screaming.
Jaison rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, Hades, huh?”
“Yes, Hades!” Lexa reached for Jaison’s hand. “Come on! We have to clean the living room. He’s going to think we’re peasants.”
Persephone smiled as the two disappeared into the adjoining room, Jaison still in possession of the lamp.
They cleaned, and just as she finished putting on her pajamas, the doorbell rang. Despite all the time she’d spent with Hades, her heart still hammered in her chest as she went to answer the door.
Hades stood on their porch in a black shirt that fit his muscles like a dream, and loose sweatpants. Persephone was shocked by his appearance; the manicured god could dress down and he was still magnificent.
“Did you own those before today?” she asked, pointing to the pants.
Hades looked down at them, grinning. “No.”
She let him in, feeling slightly embarrassed. This apartment was way too small for him—he was nearly as wide as the doorway, and he had to duck to enter. Persephone frowned.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said quickly, and moved around him. She brought him into the living room where Lexa and Jaison had finished cleaning and now lounged on the couch. “Um, Hades this is Lexa, my best friend, and Jaison, her boyfriend.”
Jaison waved from the couch, but Lexa got to her feet and hugged Hades around the middle.
Persephone’s brows rose. She was impressed with Lexa’s fearlessness, and by Hades’ reaction; he didn’t seem surprised at all, and returned Lexa’s hug.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“Very few have ever spoken those words,” he told her.
Lexa pulled away and grinned. “So long as you treat my best friend right, I’ll continue to be happy to see you.”
Hades’ lips curled. “Noted, Lexa Sideris,” he said, and gave a little bow. “May I say, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
Lexa blushed.
Damn, the Lord of the Underworld was charming.
Persephone took Hades into her kitchen. It was small for her and Lexa, even tinier with him. His head practically touched the ceiling, but his height came in handy, as much of what Persephone needed was on the top shelf in her cabinets.
“Why do you put everything up so high?” he asked as he helped retrieve her supplies.
“It’s the only place it will fit. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t live in a palace.”
He gave her a look as if to say, I could change that.
When everything was on the counter, Hades turned to look at her. “What would you do without me?”
“Get it myself,” she said simply.
Hades snorted. She turned to face him, and found he was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. He was absolutely breathtaking, and she wanted to laugh because he was standing in her ugly kitchen making cookies. “Well, get over here. You can’t learn from there.”
Hades raised a brow, smirking, and approached. She hadn’t expected him to stand so close, but he came up behind her, cradling her body with his, hands braced on either side of her.
His mouth touched her ear, warm and honeyed. “Please, instruct.”
She took a breath and cleared her throat. “The most important thing to remember when baking is that the ingredients have to be measured and mixed right or it could mean disaster.”
His lips brushed along her neck and then her shoulder. Her breath caught, and she added, “Scratch that. The most important thing to remember is to pay attention.”
She glared at him over her shoulder while he tried to look innocent, and handed him the measuring cup.
“First, flour,” she said.
Hades took the cup and measured out the required amount of flour. He kept his arms around her, working almost as if she weren’t there—except she knew he was aware of her because she could feel his body hardening against hers.
“Next?”
Concentrate, she commanded herself. “Baking soda.”
He continued like that until all the ingredients were in the bowl and mixed. Persephone took that opportunity to duck under his arm, reaching for a cookie sheet and a spoon. She instructed Hades to form the dough into balls no more than an inch in diameter and place them on the sheet.
Once the cookies were in the oven, Hades turned to her expectantly, but she was already prepared for him.
“We make icing.” She rubbed her hands together. This was the best part. Hades raised a brow, clearly amused.
Persephone began to instruct again, handing Hades a whisk.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“You’ll beat the ingredients together,” she said, pouring powdered sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup into a bowl. She pushed it toward him.
“Beat.”
He smirked. “Happily.”
When the icing was made, they divided it into separate bowls and mixed food coloring into it. Persephone was not the cleanest baker, and by the time they finished incorporating all the colors, her fingers were covered in icing.
Hades reached for her hand. “How does it taste?” he asked, and drew her fingers deep into his mouth, sucking them clean. He groaned, “Delicious.”
She flushed and drew her hand away.
There was a long pause, and Hades asked, “Now what?”
Their eyes met.
Hades took two steps, planted his hands on her waist and lifted her onto the counter. She yelped and then laughed, drawing him close as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her hungrily, tilting her head back so he could reach deep into her mouth—but it was short-lived because Lexa came into the kitchen and cleared her throat.
Persephone broke the kiss while Hades’ head fell into the crook of her neck.
“Lexa,” Persephone cleared her throat. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you guys wanted to watch a movie?”
“Say no,” Hades whispered against her ear.
Persephone laughed and asked, “What movie?”
“Clash of the Titans?”
Hades snorted and drew away from her, looking at Lexa. “Old or new?”
“Old.”
He considered, tilting his head. “Fine,” and then he kissed Persephone on the cheek. “Going to need a minute.”
He left the kitchen, and Persephone stayed seated on the counter, kicking her legs back and forth. When Hades was out of sight, Lexa started. “Okay, first. Not in the kitchen! Second, he’s completely in love with you.”
Persephone’s cheeks heated. “Stop, Lexa.”
“Girl, he worships you.”
Persephone ignored Lexa and started cleaning up.